Hi kashga. Replying belatedly to your post at 16:32 on 30/06/09....

Hi kashga. Replying belatedly to your post at 16:32 on 30/06/09. Developing our Uranium Industry Further.

Concerning mining & selling uranium, not just as ore or yellow cake but as refined, concentrated and value added
fuel rods.
I have thought for years this is obviously the way to go with our semi monopoly on the material.
Likewise the disposal of the spent rods. We have this location, as suitable as anywhere and right alongside the main mining location. I have thought in the terms of locating all this industry around this hub as "A Centre of Excellence" for the uranium fuel industry.
As you say the nimbys will tramp around the country with banners in a great show of horror at the idea but offering no positive alternatives to the inevitable huge growth in world demand for energy.
There wont be enough geothermal by a long shot. Yes, there is a lot of coal about still but no 'clean' way to use it within cooee.

The demand for energy by the worlds huge and growing population is enormous. Much of this is and has been increasingly met with nuclear power for decades.
I wish there were a better safer way to satisfy demand but without a surprise development out of right field nuclear will continue to expand.

I like your "Rod exchange" programme thought. Excellent.

The time has passed for crying doom about Nuclear energy has well passed in my book.
Developing our rescource in a thoroughly professional way from mining of ore to manufacture of fuel rods in a way as you put forward and then disposing in a controlled, accountable manner as we are positioned to do better than any sounds the answer to me.

I have thought previously along the lines of a world body consisting of the major reactor building countries like USA, France, Japan and Russia building with the very best technology and supplying the worlds reactors somewhat as Boeing and later Airbus have with commercial aircraft.

This could make reactors so efficient and cheap that no country would bother to try and do it themselves like North Korea and Iran are currently doing with all the truly inherrant dangers that this creates.

A major stumbling block to getting progress on a scheme such as this would be the reluctance of any Australian government supporting such a plan as it would no doubt be seen as a great vote loser initially.

I am pleased you raised this issue.

geojac